February 22, 1732 Westmoreland, Virginia- December 14, 1799 Mount Vernon, Virginia
Political Party- Washington was not apart of any political party
Terms: April 30, 1789- March 3, 1797 (served two terms)
Vice President: John Adams (both terms)
Thematic Context Slavery during this time period was fairly common. It began with the early colonists enslaving native americans and in the late 1700s the colonies began to import slaves from Africa. It was an issue that went unaddressed for a long period of time. George Washington himself owned over 100 slaves. Passed in 1793 by the Cabinet and Washington, the Fugitive Slave Law took effect. This law allowed the authorities to capture and remove any slave that escaped or ran away from their master. The slave would typically be killed or be enslaved again and tortured. This law was not as harshly enforced in the northern states but took effect more strongly in the the South. This also prohibited any whites from helping an escaped slave and if they would and were caught they could suffer jail time or extreme loss of land. It depended on where they lived whether the law was enforced or not. The Fugitive Slave Law was abused by the white men who claimed that practically any black person was an escaped slave. This infuriated the northern states, but the South who needed workers for their tobacco plantations continued to recapture slaves. Washington passed the law to give the individual states the power to return escaped slaves and take the responsibility off of the federal government.
Another act that involved the issue of slavery was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Though this was before Washington’s presidency it had an effect on Washington’s decisions revolving around the topic of slavery. The Northwest Ordinance gave rights to the citizens in this region and declared how high the population must be before joining the U.S. It also stated that there would be no slavery in this new region, but it did not free any slaves just prohibit from future enslavement. This Ordinance contradicted the northern states beliefs. The north did not agree with enslaving people and as a result did not even reciprocate with the Fugitive Slave Act when it was passed in 1793. The Northwest region having slaves and the northern states not agreeing with it could have caused a huge rift. Thankfully it didn’t and George Washington avoided a conflict.
Thesis I would give George Washington and his administration an A. Washington was the very first president of the newly independent America. He had a lot of pressure attempting to create a different government system that didn’t oppress the people like Britain had. He also had to find a way and merge the North and South states together considering they both had very different economic systems and ideas on slavery. George Washington deserves an A grade because he set up the idea of the cabinet and other executive official to help run the country such as Secretary of Treasury and Secretary of State. This set a precedent for future presidents.
Goals George Washington, as the first presidents had one major goal: Establish and maintain a new government. He first began by creating the presidential Cabinet. He named Thomas Jefferson as the Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of Treasury, and Henry Knox as Secretary of War. Washington recognized that the power could not all go to one person, but needed to be divided between several individuals.This way the opinions and decisions were not of just one person, but many voices. The constitution did state that the president could name heads of the executive branch departments. Washington had to basically start from scratch and try not to fall into the same steps that their previous rulers had. That is why he received a grade of an A. All of his hard work of set up the framework for future leaders. Another goal of George Washington’s was to stay out of foreign disputes. After just coming out of war with the British, the recently independent America couldn’t afford any more wars. The debt that the Revolutionary war instilled on the U.S. was $75,463,476.52. Not only could they not afford it financially, the casualties but emotionally too. For example, in 1793 George Washington issued the Proclamation of Neutrality. France declared war on England and both countries expected the U.S to get involved. Before America declared their independence and were still ruled by England, they were involved with wars on their soil and on European soil considering all of the issues were about colonizing in the new world. Now, France and England have their own issue and the French having allied with the U.S during the Revolutionary war expect them to be allies once again. Britain and America still had business relations after the War for Independence. This left America in a very tricky situation and Washington knowing best, decided to remain neutral and leave out any bloodshed.
Washington also believed that united as one the country would prosper, but divided they would fall.This is why he didn’t believe in political parties. In fact, he advised against it in his farewell address. At this time the Federalist and Antifederalist parties were slowly forming. The idea of the country dividing against each other would just tear them apart from the inside. This goal was fulfilled for the next president, former vice president John Adams wasn’t affiliated with any political party. Washington’s stance on foreign and domestic affair gave him an A. Not becoming involved with foreign issues saved America money and a lot of emotional turbulence, but attempting to save the country from breaking apart internally boosted the respect he received from most of the population.
Washington and Congress Washington worked well with Congress. The first Congress was said to be the most important and successful of them all. It was in charge of managing the debts of the Revolutionary war, naming a capital, collect revenue, and many other things. At the head of Congress is the president. It is very crucial for Congress and the President to work side by side and make America better. And that this point in history the country was very vulnerable and need someone to help lead and make the decisions. Washington and his Congress passed many legislatures and approved many ideas, one of them being the Bill of Rights. They changed America in a way that left a lasting impression. That is one of the reasons George Washington receives an A. As Washington states in his first annual message to Congress “The welfare of our country is the great object to which our cares and efforts ought to be directed. And I shall derive great satisfaction from a co—operation with you in the pleasing, though arduous task, of ensuring to our fellow—citizens the blessings which they a right to expect from a free, efficient, and equal government.” Washington understood the fact that hima nd Congress had to work hand in hand to help establish the new country. Examples of legislation passed are the Fugitive Slave act, the Naturalization law of 1795, and the Judiciary Act. Each of these went through Congress and were later signed off and approved by George Washington. Legislation vetoed by him were the alteration of the act to fix military establishment and to apportion the number of Representatives.
Positive Decision Washington and his administration were smart to establish the first bank of the United States. Alexander Hamilton was the first to mention the idea of a bank. He got the idea from the Bank of England. America, who was in financial trouble at the time needed a way to organize the currency in circulation. Hamilton suggested to form a bank to stabilize their financial system. The bill was presented and was mainly opposed but in the end it got approved for a 20 year charter. This bank was private and 70% of it was owned by foreigners, which was not unusual for America at the time. The bank ended up helping the U.S for a short while. Later, after Washington’s presidency the bank’s charter was not renewed for sometime.
Negative Decision A negative decision that George Washington made was the approval of the Fugitive Slave Act. This allowed the recapture of runaway slaves. Slavery in the northern states wasn’t very abundant, but the South’s economy relied on it. The South has vast acres of tobacco and rice fields that needed tending and white indentured slaves were too risky to work with, considering what happened with Bacon’s rebellion. So they imported slaves from Africa because it was cheaper and the Africans, to begin with, weren’t as rebellious. After sometime the slaves felt as if they were being mistreated and dehumanized and attempted to escape to the North or to Spanish Florida. This left slave owners furious, causing the administration to pass the Fugitive Slave Act. This act just further dehumanized and mistreated the slaves. People even abused the act and accused free blacks of being runaways. The Fugitive Slave Act is the main reason that George Washington and his administration did not receive an A+. If he didn’t pass this act then maybe future rebellions from the slaves wouldn’t be as harsh.
Decision that influenced future administrations The Bill of Rights, still in effect today, may have been the biggest thing that Washington and his administration could have done. This set of 10 amendments established rights that nobody, not even the president can take away from an individual. The first amendment itself, establishes the five freedoms that Britain worked so hard to not give it’s citizens. When George Washington gave those rights to the citizen’s of the U.S this told the rest of the world that they are an official independent country. It also set the United States apart from every other country. As the years passed, more amendments were added, such as one’s that gave women rights, 18 year olds the ability to vote, and abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.
Conclusion The United States as a whole was better off with George Washington as their president. He set the framework for future leaders. Washington’s decisions were not proper but they all were done for a reason and helped the country learn. He deserved the A because he set a precedent for all presidents in the future and help lay the groundwork for the next president. The only reason why he didn’t get an A+ was because of his stance on slavery and the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act.
Bibliography:
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. The American pageant: a history of the Republic. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print.
"Online Exhibit of theFirst Federal Congress." Birth of a Nation First Federal Congress. First Federal Congress Project, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <www.gwu.edu/~ffcp/exhibit/>.
February 22, 1732 Westmoreland, Virginia- December 14, 1799 Mount Vernon, Virginia
Political Party- Washington was not apart of any political party
Terms: April 30, 1789- March 3, 1797 (served two terms)
Vice President: John Adams (both terms)
Thematic Context
Slavery during this time period was fairly common. It began with the early colonists enslaving native americans and in the late 1700s the colonies began to import slaves from Africa. It was an issue that went unaddressed for a long period of time. George Washington himself owned over 100 slaves. Passed in 1793 by the Cabinet and Washington, the Fugitive Slave Law took effect. This law allowed the authorities to capture and remove any slave that escaped or ran away from their master. The slave would typically be killed or be enslaved again and tortured. This law was not as harshly enforced in the northern states but took effect more strongly in the the South. This also prohibited any whites from helping an escaped slave and if they would and were caught they could suffer jail time or extreme loss of land. It depended on where they lived whether the law was enforced or not. The Fugitive Slave Law was abused by the white men who claimed that practically any black person was an escaped slave. This infuriated the northern states, but the South who needed workers for their tobacco plantations continued to recapture slaves. Washington passed the law to give the individual states the power to return escaped slaves and take the responsibility off of the federal government.
Another act that involved the issue of slavery was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Though this was before Washington’s presidency it had an effect on Washington’s decisions revolving around the topic of slavery. The Northwest Ordinance gave rights to the citizens in this region and declared how high the population must be before joining the U.S. It also stated that there would be no slavery in this new region, but it did not free any slaves just prohibit from future enslavement. This Ordinance contradicted the northern states beliefs. The north did not agree with enslaving people and as a result did not even reciprocate with the Fugitive Slave Act when it was passed in 1793. The Northwest region having slaves and the northern states not agreeing with it could have caused a huge rift. Thankfully it didn’t and George Washington avoided a conflict.
Thesis
I would give George Washington and his administration an A. Washington was the very first president of the newly independent America. He had a lot of pressure attempting to create a different government system that didn’t oppress the people like Britain had. He also had to find a way and merge the North and South states together considering they both had very different economic systems and ideas on slavery. George Washington deserves an A grade because he set up the idea of the cabinet and other executive official to help run the country such as Secretary of Treasury and Secretary of State. This set a precedent for future presidents.
Goals
George Washington, as the first presidents had one major goal: Establish and maintain a new government. He first began by creating the presidential Cabinet. He named Thomas Jefferson as the Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of Treasury, and Henry Knox as Secretary of War. Washington recognized that the power could not all go to one person, but needed to be divided between several individuals.This way the opinions and decisions were not of just one person, but many voices. The constitution did state that the president could name heads of the executive branch departments. Washington had to basically start from scratch and try not to fall into the same steps that their previous rulers had. That is why he received a grade of an A. All of his hard work of set up the framework for future leaders. Another goal of George Washington’s was to stay out of foreign disputes. After just coming out of war with the British, the recently independent America couldn’t afford any more wars. The debt that the Revolutionary war instilled on the U.S. was $75,463,476.52. Not only could they not afford it financially, the casualties but emotionally too. For example, in 1793 George Washington issued the Proclamation of Neutrality. France declared war on England and both countries expected the U.S to get involved. Before America declared their independence and were still ruled by England, they were involved with wars on their soil and on European soil considering all of the issues were about colonizing in the new world. Now, France and England have their own issue and the French having allied with the U.S during the Revolutionary war expect them to be allies once again. Britain and America still had business relations after the War for Independence. This left America in a very tricky situation and Washington knowing best, decided to remain neutral and leave out any bloodshed.
Washington also believed that united as one the country would prosper, but divided they would fall.This is why he didn’t believe in political parties. In fact, he advised against it in his farewell address. At this time the Federalist and Antifederalist parties were slowly forming. The idea of the country dividing against each other would just tear them apart from the inside. This goal was fulfilled for the next president, former vice president John Adams wasn’t affiliated with any political party. Washington’s stance on foreign and domestic affair gave him an A. Not becoming involved with foreign issues saved America money and a lot of emotional turbulence, but attempting to save the country from breaking apart internally boosted the respect he received from most of the population.
Washington and Congress
Washington worked well with Congress. The first Congress was said to be the most important and successful of them all. It was in charge of managing the debts of the Revolutionary war, naming a capital, collect revenue, and many other things. At the head of Congress is the president. It is very crucial for Congress and the President to work side by side and make America better. And that this point in history the country was very vulnerable and need someone to help lead and make the decisions. Washington and his Congress passed many legislatures and approved many ideas, one of them being the Bill of Rights. They changed America in a way that left a lasting impression. That is one of the reasons George Washington receives an A. As Washington states in his first annual message to Congress “The welfare of our country is the great object to which our cares and efforts ought to be directed. And I shall derive great satisfaction from a co—operation with you in the pleasing, though arduous task, of ensuring to our fellow—citizens the blessings which they a right to expect from a free, efficient, and equal government.” Washington understood the fact that hima nd Congress had to work hand in hand to help establish the new country. Examples of legislation passed are the Fugitive Slave act, the Naturalization law of 1795, and the Judiciary Act. Each of these went through Congress and were later signed off and approved by George Washington. Legislation vetoed by him were the alteration of the act to fix military establishment and to apportion the number of Representatives.
Positive Decision
Washington and his administration were smart to establish the first bank of the United States. Alexander Hamilton was the first to mention the idea of a bank. He got the idea from the Bank of England. America, who was in financial trouble at the time needed a way to organize the currency in circulation. Hamilton suggested to form a bank to stabilize their financial system. The bill was presented and was mainly opposed but in the end it got approved for a 20 year charter. This bank was private and 70% of it was owned by foreigners, which was not unusual for America at the time. The bank ended up helping the U.S for a short while. Later, after Washington’s presidency the bank’s charter was not renewed for sometime.
Negative Decision
A negative decision that George Washington made was the approval of the Fugitive Slave Act. This allowed the recapture of runaway slaves. Slavery in the northern states wasn’t very abundant, but the South’s economy relied on it. The South has vast acres of tobacco and rice fields that needed tending and white indentured slaves were too risky to work with, considering what happened with Bacon’s rebellion. So they imported slaves from Africa because it was cheaper and the Africans, to begin with, weren’t as rebellious. After sometime the slaves felt as if they were being mistreated and dehumanized and attempted to escape to the North or to Spanish Florida. This left slave owners furious, causing the administration to pass the Fugitive Slave Act. This act just further dehumanized and mistreated the slaves. People even abused the act and accused free blacks of being runaways. The Fugitive Slave Act is the main reason that George Washington and his administration did not receive an A+. If he didn’t pass this act then maybe future rebellions from the slaves wouldn’t be as harsh.
Decision that influenced future administrations
The Bill of Rights, still in effect today, may have been the biggest thing that Washington and his administration could have done. This set of 10 amendments established rights that nobody, not even the president can take away from an individual. The first amendment itself, establishes the five freedoms that Britain worked so hard to not give it’s citizens. When George Washington gave those rights to the citizen’s of the U.S this told the rest of the world that they are an official independent country. It also set the United States apart from every other country. As the years passed, more amendments were added, such as one’s that gave women rights, 18 year olds the ability to vote, and abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.
Conclusion
The United States as a whole was better off with George Washington as their president. He set the framework for future leaders. Washington’s decisions were not proper but they all were done for a reason and helped the country learn. He deserved the A because he set a precedent for all presidents in the future and help lay the groundwork for the next president. The only reason why he didn’t get an A+ was because of his stance on slavery and the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act.
Bibliography:
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. The American pageant: a history of the Republic. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print.
"George Washington: His Troubles with Slavery." History Net: Where History Comes Alive - World & US History Online. Weider History Group, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <http://www.historynet.com/george-washington-his-troubles-with-slavery.htm>.
Connors, Tiffany. "HowStuffWorks "The Fugitive Slave Act"."HowStuffWorks "History". N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-civil-war/underground-railroad2.htm>.
"Fugitive Slaves." National Archives and Records Administration. he U.S. National Archives and Records Administration , n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <http://www.archives.gov/northeast/education/slavery/fugitive-slaves.html>.
"Northwest Ordinance of 1787." United States American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h365.html>.
"George Washington: Inaugural Address." The American Presidency Project. Gerhard Peters - The American Presidency Project, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=25800>.
"American President: George Washington: Foreign Affairs." Miller Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <http://millercenter.org/president/washington/essays/biography/5>
"Bureau of the Public Debt: Our History." Bureau of the Public Debt: Homepage. Bureau of the Public Debt, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCsQFjAB&url=http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/history/history.htm&ei=qrVDUMm1Coj20gHwoYC4Cw&usg=AFQjCNEjJiWGcu-Yy30Y0k3Qxj-4irYrPQ>
"The Proclamation of Neutrality | Archiving Early America." Archiving Early America: Primary Source Material from 18th Century America. Archiving Early America, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&ved=0CFwQFjAG&url=http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/procneutral/&ei=RrhDUOj7L8Om6gGK9YHgAg&usg=AFQjCNF2y967dOjOE8Sqd3c2_wpz-vZtEg>
"Online Exhibit of theFirst Federal Congress." Birth of a Nation First Federal Congress. First Federal Congress Project, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <www.gwu.edu/~ffcp/exhibit/>.
"First Annual Message to Congress by George Washington."TeachingAmericanHistory.org -- Free Seminars and Summer Institutes for Social Studies Teachers. Ashbrook Center, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=324>.
"George Washington." N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1. Senate. Web. 2 Sept. 2012. <http://www.senate.gov/reference/Legislation/Vetoes/Presidents/WashingtonG.pdf>.
"Bank of the United States." Bank of the United States. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2012. <http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/BofUS.htm>.